Winter Nights
by babykakashi
Summary: .:complete:. Cold winters are quite a pain for Gaara... Everyone thinks that Gaara is immune to all sickness, diseases, and emotions. But, Sakura realizes that he is hurting like no other...
1. Beginning

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO!**

Hehhehheh…' im starting yet ANOTHER fic…'…well..this sorta just came to me one night…so…yeah! Oh, by the way….this is gaasaku! (for lizzie!)

By the way…in this fic..they'll be about 17-19…kz?

**Winter Nights**

**Chapter 1-Beginning…**

well..this sorta just came to me one night…so…yeah! Oh, by the way….this is gaasaku! (for lizzie!)

By the way…in this fic..they'll be about 17-19…kz?

The trees of Konoha were bare, leaving a very dead look in the bustling streets. The pink ninja pulled on her pink yarn scarf, making it wrap tighter around her neck, and rubbed her similar-coloured gloved hands together.

"It's r-really cold, isn't it S-Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her teeth chattering.

"Aa…" he said blandly.

"E-even…Naruto isn't r-really talking…"

Sasuke looked over to the blonde beside Sakura. Naruto also had himself all wrapped up, much like Sakura, except with orange-coloured yarn.

Why do we have to attend this skiing/snowboarding class again?" Naruto asked, shivering, while dragging his suitcase, as well as one of Sakura's, Sasuke carrying the other.

"Kakashi-sensei said that it was to train us…" Sakura answered, unsure of exactly _why_ their teacher said that.

Sasuke shifted his hands in his pockets.

Seeing the bus stop sign, Sakura waved furiously, and ran over.

"Hey Ino!"

"Yo, Sakura…wow…that is one bright scarf…"

"Hehe..yea…Woah…that's a really nice necklace! Oh my god…did Shika give you that?" Sakura asked, pointing out the sparkling, heart-shaped, diamond necklace hanging from Ino's neck.

"Uhmm…Yeah…he did…"

"Awww…that's totally cute!"

Ino blushed, and raised her arms to take it off.

"Why are you taking it off?" Sakura questioned, in shock.

"Oh…I don't want it to get lost when we go skiing…"

"Ooh…riiight..i should have thought of that…but then again…no one has ever given me something like that…" Sakura stated sadly.

"Sakura…all those guys gave you so many gifts…not to mention jewellery…You just didn't take them" "Yeah…because I don't like them. Besides, it was waay to expensive for me…"

"And you were complaining because…?"

"Oh..I don't know…" Sakura answered, slightly frustrated with herself.

"You and Sasuke not working out?"

"No…he still wants revenge on his brother…he can't get his mind off of that…and I don't think he ever will…" Sakura said sadly.

"Awww, Sakura…Maybe you should settle for someone else…like me!"

"Yeah…but you two were meant to be together all that time…I don't have anyone like that…"

"Well…I'm sure we'll find _SOMEONE_…There's got to be a soulmate for you…just waiting around the corner…"

Just then, the bus turned out of a small street, and came rolling to a stop in front of them. Filing in, one by one, the got on the bus slowly.

At the back of the bus, with a three seater, there sat Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou. Ignoring them, all the guys sat with their respective girlfriends, which left Sakura and Sasuke near the back. Sakura slumped into the seat, and Sasuke sat down stiffly. The bus started up again, and gained speed, as it sped through the busy street.

"So, are you excited about learning how to ski? I mean…it's not like every ninja gets this opportunity…" Sakura asked cheerfully.

"No"

"Oh…" Sakura looked out the window, with 'disappointment' written all over her face.

The bus came to a stop in front of a large building, labelled 'Registration'.

Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Baki stepped out first, with their students following suit. Sakura waited for Sasuke to step out, then did the same onto the aisle. As she stepped out, however, she was pushed right back onto her seat. She looked up, to see Gaara facing her, with that same emotionless expression.

"G-Gomenasai…" Sakura stuttered.

Gaara didn't respond, and kept walking.

Sakura massaged her left elbow, and stepped out.

Walking in with everyone, Sakura looked around the cozy inside of the registration building. The teachers were making sure all the rooms were booked, and checked that everything was in order. Then, all the students were dismissed to walk around the campus, while their luggage was taken to their huge condo.

Being great friends now, Ino decided that Sakura needed some cheering up, and told Shikamaru to go with the other guys, while they talked for a bit.

"Sakura…maybe you should try opening up to…Rock Lee?" Ino attempted.

"EWW! No offence, but he is NOT the right guy for me…He's really nice and all…but…he's just not what I'm looking for…plus..those huge, thick, fuzzy eyebrows still gives me the CREEPS…" Sakura said truthfully. (A/N: SORRY ROCK LEE FANS!)

"Well…I guess so…I'm pretty sure you'll meet someone on the slopes then…"

"Yeah…I hope so…maybe this will put me out of my misery, and I can actually have the concentration to train again…"

"Hmm…"

After a short walk through the pure white snow, the two best friends headed to the condo, with the directions of the person at the front desk. Sliding their feet against the welcome mat in the foyer, the two observed the house.

"Wow..this is pretty nice…" Sakura complimented.

"Of course! It WAS quite expensive…" Kakashi popped out from the living room. "Oh, and you two will be sharing a room! If you need any of the teachers, we'll be next door, in the smaller condo, ok?"

"Okay…Thanks Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura walked in, and started touring the house. After looking at all the recreational rooms, and the kitchen on the first floor, Sakura and Ino waked carefully upstairs. They ventured into the right hall first, and the first room on the right, was occupied by Shikamaru, and Chouji. On the left, was Sasuke and Naruto, with a little closet at the very end.

Visiting each one of them, they looked into the middle room, facing the stairs, were their belongings.

"Well…I guess we'll have to keep this door closed ALL the time…" Ino stated, sighing.

"Yeah…" Sakura agreed.

After a quick unpacking, the two went back to the room checking. Right next to them, on their right, was Gaara, and Kankurou. In front of that, was Kiba, and Shino. At the end of that hall, were Temari, and Hinata.

After changing into something more comfortable, the two headed downstairs to where everyone else were: the tv room.

Naruto was just about to put in "Troy" as Sakura and Ino walked in.

"Oh hey, you guys…come join us and watch Troy!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Oh..my..god…Troy?" Sakura screamed.

"Uhmm…Yes?"

"OH MY GOD! Orlando Bloom is in it! He's sooooooo hot!"

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE SOOOOO RIGHT!" Temari and Ino joined in. Soon, the three girls sat down beside each other on the sofa, and started talking about all the films Orlando Bloom was starred in.

"I especially liked him as Legolas" Sakura bounced up and down, bubbling inside.

"Psst…Do you think she likes this..Orlando…Bloom? Better than Sasuke?" Naruto asked Shikamaru quietly.

"How would I know! If anything…I bet Ino likes him better than me…" Shikamaru added, slightly down.

"CAN WE GET ON WITH THE MOVIE?" Kiba exploded.

"Oh! Oh..ok!" Sakura replied.

Pushing 'Play', Naruto jumped up, and dimmed out the lights.

"Wow…did you see the part where Orlando had his shirt AND pants off?"

"YES! That was sooo awesome.."

"Yeah…the make-out scene with Brad Pitt and that girl wasn't bad either…"

"Yeah..totally!"

Lying around all over the floor and sofas, the guy's had fallen asleep, occasionally woken up by the girls' screams and squeals. Of course, 5 minutes into the squealing, Sasuke and Gaara declared that this was a waste of their time, and went outside to train. Separately, of course.

Deciding it was time for dinner, the four girls went into the kitchen and bustled around, making rice, steaming vegetables, and making sauce for a simple, dinner, as there were so many people to feed, making anything fancy was impossible.

During dinner, everyone talked excitedly about their skiing and snowboarding lessons, all except for, you guessed it!...Gaara and Sasuke.

"That was excellent, Hinata-chan!" Naruto purred as he wrapped his arms around Hinata's waist.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata blushed.

"Oh geez…you two…go do that somewhere else…" Sakura muttered.

"Gladly!" Naruto led Hinata upstairs, into his room.

Sakura watched Shikamaru and Ino cuddle together in the living room as she washed the dishes. "Sigh…Why can't I have a boyfriend? Am I that much of a reject?" she thought aloud.

"What do you mean?"

Sakura turned around, to find Gaara standing there, his arms crossed, with that same expression he always has.

"Oh, I was just talking to myself…" Sakura laughed weakly.

Gaara kept on staring into her jade coloured eyes.

"D-did you need something?"

"No"

"Oh…ummm…ok…"

Sakura turned back to her dishes, and kept washing, feeling slightly uncomfortable with Gaara standing behind her like that.

_She's lonely…Like me…I never would have thought someone as cheerful as her would be so alone…Such graceful movements…I wonder what she thinks of me…Wait...what the hell! This coldness is getting to my head…_

"Gaara-san? Gaara-san…are u in there?" Sakura poked his arm lightly.

"Uh..…good night"

Gaara stalked away silently, and drifted to his bedroom.

"Woah.._that_ was weird…" Sakura muttered, as she too, started upstairs for bed.

End of Chapter

Well…That was it…This is going to be really short…probably less than 5 chapters…Also, I think Oh, and REVIEW! Tell me what you think…it's always helpful…

Oh, and YES…I just HAD to put the Orlando Bloom part...:D:D:D I just COULD NOT RESIST! All those things that the girls said….they were what I though…kz:D


	2. Lessons

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO!**

Omg…you people are the BEST! I tried writing a seto x serenity fic (YuGiOh)…but..THAT blew…so…I'm totally deleting it…

Anyways…needless to say…I am totally motivated by ALL your reviews…and am even ditching my current hw to work on this! YAY! Well…also…NEWS FLASH, ORLI LOVERS!—Orlando bloom is now #1 on the 50 sexiest guys! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!

NOTE! Sasuke's gonna be a little OOC here..but..they ARE grown up..so..many things have changed his way of thinking…he's grown quite fond of Sakura…although he doesn't like to admit it…and ultimately doesn't SHOW it…well…On with the story…

**Winter Nights**

**Chapter 2-Lessons…**

The next morning, everyone woke up to bright rays coming through their Venetian blinds. The pure, white snow glistening in the beautiful sun.

Sakura woke up with a start, being a bright, and early morning person she is. Giving herself a little stretch, she stumbled downstairs to the bathrooms. Running her hand through her loosely tied-up hair, Sakura turned the knob of the door, and walked in. She heard water dripping from the bathtub, and slowly opened her eyes.

Her irises adjusted to the light, and everything came t- _wait…LIGHT!_ her eyes snapped wide open, and she saw Gaara, naked.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sakura screamed in her high-pitched voice.

Gaara pulled a towel around his waist, and rolled his eyes.

"AHHHH!" she screamed again, as she ran outside, slamming the door shut behind her. Sakura ran back up the stairs, only to bump right into someone with only a pair of boxers on. She screamed again, shut her eyes tight, and started to fling her arms everywhere. A hand went over her mouth, muting her piercing screams, and the other grasped her hands together.

Sakura looked up, and saw Sasuke's steel grey eyes.

"Sakura, stop screaming your ass off…you're waking everyone up!" Sasuke hissed, as he let go of her.

Sakura blushed a deep red, having seen two naked bodies in the morning.

"S-sorry, Sasuke-kun…" she looked down and turned to her bedroom. As she turned around, the same strong hand grabbed her by the wrist, and Sakura turned back around.

"Sakura…uhmm…never mind…" Sasuke slumped back into his bedroom.

Sakura confusedly went into her room as well, and decided to gather her things to the bathroom, once again.

Everyone took their turns in the three bathrooms located in the first floor, and soon, everyone was all dressed for a day of skiing/snowboarding in the living room. Sakura had avoided Gaara's and Sasuke's gazes, and kept talking to Sakura and Temari about Orlando Bloom, Ryan Gosling, Sean William Scott, Shawn Ashmore, Adam Brody, Brad Pitt…(I could just go onn and onn………)

Suddenly, Kakashi appeared with a poof, and announced that everything was set, all the instructors were booked, and it was time to head over to the main building to get their skis, and snowboards. He then disappeared.

Being the safe Sakura, she chose skis, along with Ino and Hinata. Temari, on the other hand, chose snowboard. All the guys, with the exception of Shino, Kiba, and Chouji chose snowboards as well.

Everyone, except the two most emotionless males in the world, were very excited, as they have never in the life skied/snowboarded before.

As they strolled out the door with their extra clothing, they talked excitedly about how good they were going to be.

When they got there, Kakashi and the other sensei's were all waiting for them, ready to assign the instructors. After learning the very basics of stopping, and turning, their instructors told them to move up a small hill, and practice stopping. After that, they quickly moved onto turns on a hill. Using a 'magic carpet', that brought them up a small hill, everyone followed the instructor, as he/she performed some sharp turns down the hill.

When everyone grasped the skills, they were told that they could go wherever they wanted, and ski down some beginner hills.

Sakura and Ino regrouped, and decided to go to one of the easier hills, as they were having so much fun.

"Yeah…my instructor was TOTALLY cute!" Ino exclaimed.

"Really? I got some fat guy…but…he was good…" Sakura said, disappointed.

"Ooh...too bad…Although he was cute…no one can match Shika-kun!" Ino said happily.

"Uhmm..Ino? I thought you HATED him before…and how, you talk about him as if he was a saint…"

"Well…I liked him a LOONG time ago…but…then Sasuke came in the picture, and you know…Plus, Shikamaru can be really sweet!"

"Riight…"

"Oh! I forgot…let's go get you some GUYS!"

"O..k….."

They skied around for a while, then joined Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Shikamaru.

"Hey you guys!" Ino shouted out.

"Haha…I can snowboard so well!" Naruto yelled.

"Y-yeah…Naruto-kun is v-very good…" Hinata blushed at this point.

"Suuure…" Sakura said in disbelief as Sasuke rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"So, Ino…did you wipe out yet?" Shika joked.

"No! Of course not. My beauty just bounces me back up!"

Shikamaru snorted, "Riiight…Whatever you say, babe..."

Ino smiled brightly, as they stepped ahead to wait for the lift to pick them up.

"Well Sasuke-kun…I guess we'll be together on the lift…" Sakura said.

"Aa…"

Naruto and Hinata followed Shikamaru and Ino, and stepped up. Sakura and Sasuke did the same, and soon, the three pairs were up in the air, the wind blowing through their hats and scarves.

When they got up to the hill, they had to stop and decide where they were going to go. They chose a nice, sceneric hill with lots of trees covered with fresh snow. They all went down slowly, enjoying the moment, when all of a sudden, Naruto lost his balance, and crashed into Sakura. Sakura tried to regain her balance, but stumbled down. In front of her, there was a big drop filled with trees, twigs, and branches sticking out here and there at the bottom.

Hinata stopped immediately to help Naruto, as Shikamaru and Ino stopped a little in front of them just to wait. Sasuke, as soon as he saw the big drop Sakura was heading for, became frightened, and sped up to prevent her from falling. She was about to fall, but he couldn't reach her. Just as Sakura felt the ground beneath her fade to thin air, a hand caught her arm.

Still in shock, Sakura looked down, and saw that the ground had magically fallen down to 20 feet below. As she looked up to see who had caught her in time, she felt herself being pulled back up. _Who is it?_ she asked herself. She saw a flash of red hair, and jade eyes, encircled with black.

"Gaara-san?"

He kept pulling her up, but struggled a little due to the heaviness of the skis. As Sakura collapsed on the ground, she whispered a soft "Thank you" and tried to stand up. Being on a snowboard, Gaara stood up without much difficulty, and stretched out a hand to help Sakura. "A-arigatou, Gaara-san…" Sakura blushed, as his naked body came into mind.

Gaara brushed off the snow that clung to his jacket and shivered.

"Are you cold?" Sakura asked with concern.

Gaara gave her one of his death glares, checked his buckles on his snowboard, and swished away.

Sasuke watched the whole thing standing a few feet behind them. _Why? Why was Sakura so nice to him? He's a murderer that doesn't care about other people's feelings or emotions…why should HE get Sakura's attention!_

Sasuke decided to play it cool, and slowly made his way over to Sakura.

"You ok?" he asked coolly.

"Y-yeah…just a little shocked…I should be more careful," she chuckled weakly.

"Don't laugh! You could have died!" Sasuke blurted out faster than he had expected.

"S-sasuke-kun…" Sakura was quite shocked. _When did Sasuke-kun ever start NOTICING me, let alone CARE about me?...this is one weird day…_

"Let's just go…" Sasuke sighed, and jumped so that his board was vertical, and slid away.

"Sakura! Are you ok!" Ino came rushing in as fast as she could without falling.

"Yeah…thanks to Gaara-san…"

"Well..he IS a little creepy..but..if he saved you..then he can't be THAT bad…I guess we should get going, ne?"

"Yes…let's go…" _I wonder why he DID save me…he IS sort of a murderer…why would MY life be any different? But then again, it has been quite a few years._

"Wow! That was sooo fun!" Temari exclaimed.

"Yeah! I wonder what snowboarding is like…Skiing is REALLY free though…" Ino added.

"Yeah! Snowboard was a BLAST! You guys should try it!" Naruto joined in.

"Well…I don't know…it probably isn't as free as skiing though…" Sakura said, unsure.

"Yeah…but, it's a lot cooler…"

"Hmm…I guess so…"

"What are we eating for dinner?" Chouji asked, his stomach growling like as if he needed to growl to live.

"Let's go out for ramen!" Naruto suggested.

_Typical…_ Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Noo…how about…Steak?" Kiba blurted out.

"Yeah! Let's have steak!"

"Alllright! STEAK!" Chouji yelled.

They all piled through the door, save for Sasuke and Gaara, who decided not to go out for dinner, and walked towards the nearest steakhouse as fast as they could without slipping on the sheets of ice covering the floor.

As they ate, they all talked about all the slopes they went down, or which hot guy they saw. When they were all about to pay for the bill, being the considerate person Sakura is, she ordered some salad and two burgers for Sasuke and Gaara.

They strolled back to their condo slowly, on account of having full stomachs.

Sakura remained quite quiet as the others chattered away and thought about the things that went on that day. _First, there was the whole naked Gaara and Sasuke-kun thing in the morning…And Sasuke-kun? STUTTERING! I'd hate to see what would happen when he hits 40…Gaara…saving ME! That's just totally confusing…I wonder if it's some sort of disease that's hit them…hmm…_

They all walked into the house in different groups, who respectively went up to their bedrooms to get ready for bed. As they all took showers when they first got back to the condo before dinner, there was no need to take showers again.

"Here, Sasuke-kun" Sakura said as she stretched out her hand to give them the bag of food.

"What's this?" Sasuke asked.

"It's a bag filled with explosives! Don't touch it!" Sakura exclaimed.

The ninja jumped and crouched in attack position.

"Calm down, you paraniod. It's food. Did you really think I would bring you a bomb? I'm not about to kill the whole house, you know," she said earnestly.

"Oh…just leave it there…" Sasuke said, nodding at the table.

"'kay" Sakura walked over and set the Styrofoam trays onto the wooden table. She started to set the table up for them, and went upstairs to call Gaara.

She knocked on his door, and waited for an answer. Nothing…She knocked again.

"Yes?" said a deep voice from inside the room.

"Gaara-san? I brought you some food, it's downstairs on the dining table, ok?"

"Okay"

"Be sure to go down!"

Sakura walked down the stairs, still staring at Gaara's closed door. She took her hand off the railing to curl her pink locks behind her left ear, when she missed a step, and fell down the stairs, spraining her ankle in the process. _Oww…_ Sakura winced.

Gaara's bedroom door opened slowly, and he stepped out. Looking down the stairs, he saw Sakura sitting on the landing, clutching her ankle as Temari, Kiba, and Naruto had popped their heads out of the kitchen to see what was going on.

"Sakura? Are you alright?" Gaara asked quietly.

"Yes…I think so…Ugh..I'm so clumsy today…"

Gaara felt his lips tug upwards a little, but kept it under control. He walked down the stairs, bent down, and helped Sakura up.

"Can you walk?"

"I think so…" Sakura replied as she limped down the stairs slowly. When she stumbled, Gaara would hold her closer, helping her down the stairs carefully, and Sakura would blush a deep red. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, her face was unrecognizable from a tomato.

"Are you not feeling well?" Gaara asked, seeing the redness.

"Oh, I'm fine…"

"Let's get you over to the couch…"

"Hai"

Feeling that it would take too long for Sakura to limp all the way over to the living room, Gaara put his right arm over her shoulder, bent down, and slid his left arm behind her knees, and carried her over to the green sofa bridal style.

"There…"

"A-ariga…tou…Gaara-san…" Sakura blushed…again.

He stared at her.

"Oh, please go and eat..the food's going to get cold…" Sakura insisted.

"Alright"

END OF CHAPTER

Okay..so..there really wasn't a lot of interactions between the guys themselves…but…guys are the type of species that don't talk to each other about the most random things…so…I dunno…plus, it's hard for me to juggle between situations…its…just really hard…. (for me anyway)

I didn't put Gai's team in, because there's already a lot of people in this story for my taste…not to mention the fact that they ARE a year older..so..they did this already…UU

And OK…Gaara was REALLY REALLY OOC…but…u know…pplz change…and…this story wouldn't be fun if he was totally the way he is in the show…ok?


	3. Affections

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO!!!!**

Wow you pplz...thanks a lot! Im glad u pplz think that im doing well...cuz...I've had my doubts...I'm really trying to finish this one...and im really having writers block for my other stories...if u have ANY suggestions...PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!! Tell me! (epsicially who should kidnap sakura..cuz..i've made a few attempts...but...they all seemed bad.......AND what events should occur in my "secrets revealed" one...please tell me!!)

Every time someone tells me that im doing well, I get more and more determination to finish the next chapter..and so on...so...I really really appreciate all your comments! THANK YOU!!! XOXO

Also..i know the summary is a little different and stuff...but...I promise..the key point of the story...IS about that...kz?! :D

NOTE!!! I changed the umm thoughts to /.../ cuz ffnet wont let me use the ones i always used....

On with da story!!

**Winter Nights**

**Chapter 3-Affections...**

Sakura looked out the window and sighed as the snow floated in the air. /_Damn leg...I just HAD to fall down the fucking stairs...NOo...I couldn't fall at home...hmph/_ It was a cloudy day, making the house gloomy, filled with shadows.

-creak-

"Huh? What was that?" Sakura panicked. /_Oh my god...is it a burglar?!/_

The pink haired shinobi crept out her room quietly.

-creak-

Sakura's hands clenched together, starting to sweat. She darted her eyes left and right, up and down. Nothing.

-crash-

"Shit" a low voice cursed from downstairs.

"Oh my god...it is a burglar!!" Sakura whispered. Grabbing a wooden stick she was using as a crutch, she limped downstairs stealthily.

Reaching the kitchen, Sakura used the walls for support, then crept towards the shadowed figure.

Raising her wooden stick slowly, she took another step. As she was about to hit the figure, the figure stood up, and blocked the attack.

"What the hell?!"

"AHH!! BURGLAR!!!!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs, and tried to run away. But a hand came over the top of her mouth, and pulled her close. A sweet scent of soap danced into her nostrils.

"Shh...I'm NOT a burglar..." a soft voice said.

Sakura turned around as the arm and hand let go of her.

"Gaara-san?" Sakura asked, unsure.

"Yes..."

"Oh! G-gomen..."

"It's okay...what were you thinking anyway? Can't a guy stay out of the cold? Geez..."

"Oh...hehheh...sorry...I thought everyone went out to ski/snowboard, that's all..."

"Oh..well...I hate the cold..."

"Well, considering you ARE from the hidden sand village, I guess I don't blame you..."

"...So, how's your leg?"

"Oh, it's okay, I guess...It only hurts when I walk on it...which, I'm trying to avoid..." Sakura laughed.

"I see..."

"Yeah...so, what _were_ you doing anyway?"

"Oh, I was trying to make something to eat...before...you know, I was recognized as a _burglar_..." Gaara explained.

"Oh, hehheh..." Sakura laughed nervously.

"Do you want anything?"

"uhm...how about ramen?" Sakura suggested cheerfully.

"Sure...you know, you've been hanging around Naruto too much..." Gaara chuckled lightly, seeing the cheerfulness in Sakura's voice.

"heheh...Yeah...maybe..." Sakura laughed, then added quietly, "maybe because I have no one else to hang with..."

"What was that?" he asked with curiosity.

"Oh, nothing...nothing..." Sakura flashed a fake smile, and walked over to the cupboard to get out some ramen.

"Would you mind if you cooked it? I don't really know how to cook..." Gaara asked.

"Sure!" Sakura limped over to the stove with the ramen. "Could you take out the big pan..or bowl...looking like thing? Just right there...Then fill it with water..." Sakura pointed.

Gaara filled the silver container with tap water, then set it on the stove.

"Thanks..."

With that, Sakura started to cook, with Gaara standing near her, to help if she needed to get anything.

Within 10 minutes, their lunch was served.

"Itadaikimasu!" Sakura said happily, snapping her wooden chopsticks in half.

Sakura pushed the steaming hot ramen into her mouth, bit it off, and chewed. She repeated this process several times, until she realized that a pair of eyes was gazing at her. Sakura looked up, and had a confused look on her face.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason..."

"Alright then...Eat your ramen...It doesn't taste good when its cold..."

"Okay..."

Gaara continued to stare at her. /_Such beauty...She's so kind and nice...Unlike the woman I had to live with...stupid, controlling Temari.../_ He sighed inwardly, and continued to look at Sakura, until a voice brought him back onto planet earth.

"Gaara-san..."

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Now, WHY were you staring at me? AGAIN?"

"No reason..."

Sakura gave up quickly, and sighed. She ate her ramen quietly, looking out the window.

After drinking the last of the soup, Sakura fell back onto the chair, licked her lips, and lay her head on the back of the chair.

"Ahh..that was good...Wow...I'm just like Naruto now...hehe.." Sakura giggled.

"Sakura..._-chan_...Did anyone tell you that you are beautiful?" Gaara blurted out suddenly.

"Wha?" Sakura snapped back up, staring at him unbelievably.

"Has anyone told you that you were beautiful...?" he said again, with a slightly dreamy voice.

"My mom and dad did...and all those fan boys...but, they don't really count, do they?" Sakura laughed again, "Wait...are YOU saying that I'm beautiful?"

"Yes..." Gaara said truthfully, wondering why the HELL he said all this in the first place.

Sakura flushed, and looked down at her lap. She twiddled her thumbs and muttered a quiet 'Thank you'. Getting up abruptly, she swiped her chopsticks and bowl off the table, headed over the counter, and dumped them in their respective places. She started to wash the dishes that were piled up from this morning, along with the ones she just used.

Gaara followed Sakura when he was finished, handing her his bowl, and taking a wet paper towel, and wiping the table clean.

It's quite remarkable how 5 years ago, Gaara used to be someone that cared about nobody but himself, did nothing but to the benefit of himself, and actually LIKED killing. Sakura found this very amazing, and wondered why Sasuke never changed as immensely as Gaara did.

Dazed, Sakura washed the dishes absent-mindedly, and found herself staring at Gaara as he leaned over the table to wipe some soup stains off.

_/He IS kinda cute...and he DID say that I was beautiful.../_ Sakura thought, blushing again.

"Here..." Gaara handed her the towel for her to throw out.

"Thanks..."

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

After cleaning the area they used in the kitchen, Sakura limped up to her room to take a shower. As she struggled up the creaky stairs, a warm hand grasped her elbow, and a soft, new voice said, "Let _me_ help you..."

"A-arigatou, Gaara-san..." Sakura blushed a deep shade of magenta. /_Why do I blush like this?! I never did this before around him...why now?! Was it because he saved me?! Or...because he said I was beautiful?! Sigh.../_

Gaara aided Sakura all the way into her room, as she got her clothes. Helping her back down the same, creaking stairs, Gaara's heart began to thump loudly...uncontrollably...

_/What the hell? First saving her, then telling her what I thought, and now, my heart is beating like no other...what is WRONG with me?!/_

"Thanks..." Sakura said, as she was set onto the toilet seat with her clothes in her arms.

"How are you going to shower...?" Gaara asked, curious.

"Well, I just have difficulty walking...I can stand with no problem..."

"Ahh..right...well..be careful..."

"Hai..." /_Wow...Gaara-san is so...caring...did Sasuke-kun ever say these things to me? All he ever said was that I shouldn't go on dangerous missions with them...he says that just 'cause I'll get in HIS way...hmph.../_

As water from the shower head hit the ceramic floor, Gaara sank into the lumpy green cushion, his arms and legs relaxed, and sighed.

"AHH!!" a scream came suddenly from the bathroom.

Gaara jumped right up, and ran to the bathroom from which the voice was heard.

"Sakura! What is it?!" he asked, panicking from the outside.

"Nothing...I...I just slipped..that's all..." Sakura explained, regaining her breath.

"Okay...if you need anything, just call me...ok?"

"Okay...thanks..." Sakura felt gratitude to Gaara's generous actions, and thought about Sasuke again.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

Everyone came back from a day in the snow, and was completely exhausted. They all got home, and either got in the shower, or collapsed on the sofas or the floor.

"Woah...you guys look sooo tired!" Sakura said as she jumped up, having almost stepped on Naruto.

"Ugghhhhhhh........." Naruto moaned.

Sakura sighed, stepped over him, and entered the kitchen, where the girls were preparing dinner.

"Hey Sakura...How's your leg?" Ino asked, as she poured some frozen corn into a bowl.

"It's ok...but, I have troubles walking up and down the stairs..."

"Oh..well...one of us can help you...right? And if you need anything from your room or something, we could get it...right Shika?!" Ino offered, her eyes on the almost unconscious Shikamaru lying on the green sofa.

"Mmmmm..." Shika groaned.

"See?" Ino turned back to Sakura, and smiled.

"Thanks...So...what are you guys making anyway?"

"We're having a stir-fry dinner tonight!" Temari chirped, as she just had a fresh, warm shower.

"Ohh..." Sakura smiled, and hopped over to the table, where Gaara sat, staring at a math text book.

"Gaara-san? Why are you doing homework at a time like this?" Sakura questioned.

"I have to keep up with my studies, you know...plus, there's nothing else to do..." he replied blandly.

"Oh...so...what are you doing right now?"

"Calculating the slopes of these straight lines, and their equations..." Gaara pointed at a diagram full of different, criss-crossing lines.

Sakura's eyebrows knotted together, and her head hurt just looking at the graph.

"Ugh...All this snow's making me a COMPLETE airhead..."

Gaara smiled lightly, and looked back down onto his piece of paper with equations and random numbers.

Sakura ran her hands through her pastel pink hair, and found some knots. Bringing a handful of hair in front of her, she started to take the knots out with her delicate fingers.

_She looks so cute...so...innocent..._ Gaara thought as he looked up to see what she was doing.

Just as he was deciding this, Sasuke stepped into the kitchen, his hands running through his wet hair. Sakura looked up, and smiled. It was the first time she had seen his raven-blue hair down, the first time it wasn't spiking up in that natural shape.

"Sasuke-kun...how come your hair isn't its normal shape anymore?" Sakura tried to make conversation.

"Because...I combed it...stupid" he said coldly.

Sakura looked down, as tears started to well up in her eyes. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't control it. She couldn't take it anymore...

"GOD SASUKE!!," Sakura exploded, purposely dropping the honorific, "EVERYTIME I TRY AND TALK TO YOU, YOU JUST...JUST TELL ME THAT I'M STUPID, OR I'M IN THE WAY...OR THAT I'M WASTING MY TIME WHEN I COULD BE TRAINING...WHAT IS _WRONG_ WITH YOU ANYWAY?! WHY?!?!?" Sakura limped out of the room as fast as she could, and up the stairs, when she tripped and fell.

Gaara stood up instantly as she fled the room, threw the pencil down, and ran out of the kitchen.

"Sakura! Are you ok?" Gaara asked with a worried face.

"Yes..." Sakura sniffed, and got back up.

"Here, let me help you..." Gaara sighed.

Walking up the stairs as they did before, this time a bit faster, they reached Sakura's bedroom once again. He helped her to her bed, and sat down beside her.

"Sakura...Just ignore Sasuke..." he tried.

"But...I...I can't! I..._love_ him..." she cried.

"Do you _really_?"

"Y-yes..."

"Positive?"

"Uhmm..."

"Exactly..."

Sakura stayed speechless.

"M-maybe...maybe I really _don't_ love him...maybe...it's all just been a lie...just because I _used _to _like_ him..." Sakura thought aloud.

"Maybe so..." Gaara leaned closer to her, and held his hand out to caress her face as a tear came rolling down her cheek. His heart thumped loudly and uncontrollably again.

"Sakura...don't cry for him..."

Sakura turned to look at him in the eye. His jade eyes, with a small twinkle that was never there before.

"Thank you...Gaara...-kun..." Sakura felt so secure, so safe from all dangers. /_It's like...he was always there to protect me...from anything.../_ Sakura thought.

They leaned closer together, and their lips connected. A sweet, innocent kiss.../_She's so beautiful.../_

Just as they were deepening the kiss, someone barged in, crashing through the door.

"Sakura!" a furious voice yelled.

They broke from the kiss, and Sakura said "Sasuke-kun?", surprised and shocked.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sasuke ran over to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away from Gaara and her bed. Gaara lowered his arm, and sat there, staring at them.

"Sasuke! Get off of me! I can do whatever I WANT!" Sakura yelled, trying to get out of Sasuke's strong grip.

"No...you're mine...and mine only!" he snarled, almost too possessively.

With that, Gaara got up, and pried Sasuke's fingers off of Sakura's small delicate wrist.

"Don't do that to her!" he snapped as he pulled her closer.

"Gaara-kun..." Sakura said, relieved, as her body hit his warm one gently.

Sasuke gave an angry growl, and stomped out the door.

"Daijoubou, Sakura?" Gaara asked caringly.

"Yeah...Thanks..." she sniffed. "Gaara-kun...I think you're right...I _don't_ love Sasuke..."

"Sakura...hmm..let's get you tucked in...you must be tired, from all that cooking..." he gave a genuine smile, and led her back over to her bed. Gaara lifted the sheets, and picked Sakura up, placing her gently on the bed. Pulling the blanket and sheets over her small yet developed body, he made sure she was snug and kissed her forehead. Then, he walked over to the door, and turned the lights off. As he was closing the door, Sakura said, "Thanks Gaara-kun...for everything..."

-OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO-

Wow...a personal best...the length I meant...cuz..this chapter was prettttyyy boring if u asked me...annyways...it was sorta a...I dunno...transition chapter? Anyways...it took me a while cuz I sorta went from fic to fic to fic to hw, to this, to hw, to this, to fic, to this, to hw, to this...and...so...some stuff will probably seem sorta weird....the style changing a lot...please don't mind...I just had a LOT of distractions..i promise...I'll try and make the next chapter better!

Next chapter...Gaara's weak side will show!......i think anyway...might be the NEXT NEXT chapter...not sure... but..i DO PROMISE YOU!! TA!


	4. Body Guard

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO!!!!**

**Winter Nights**

**Chapter 4- Body Guard**

In the middle of the dead night, Sakura suddenly jerked awake lightly. Sakura felt something funny in her feet and legs. Reaching down to touch them, she realized that they were ice-cold. She climbed out of bed slowly, testing her feet on the floor, slipped into her slippers, and walked out the room quietly, careful not to wake the murmuring Ino.

As she walked out, she suddenly realized it was beyond freezing. Creeping out, she felt her way down the stairs, grasping the railing tightly, careful not to fall again.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard teeth chattering.

Curious and concerned, Sakura wandered over to the sofa, where the sound was coming from as she rubbed her hands over her arms.

Through the unveiled curtain, she saw a familiar silhouette. The flaming red hair in a shade of dark blue because of the light. She noticed he was shivering...a lot.

Walking closer, she whispered, "Gaara-kun?"

The figure slowly raised his head, and looked into Sakura's jade eyes.

"S-S-Sakura-chan?" Gaara stuttered.

Sakura walked quickly over to the sofa, sat down, and put a caring arm around him.

"Why are you here in the middle of the night? Shouldn't you be in your room?"

"I...I don't sleep, remember?...s-so...I came out here...to...to look at the moon, and w-watch the stars..." his teeth chattered.

"What happened to the heat?" Sakura asked.

"I-...I don't know...I c-came down...and zone out...the n-next thing I knew...I-it was f-freezing...c-cold......"

"It's ok...let's get you upstairs..."

Sakura slowly stood up, but Gaara reached out for her hand and pulled her back down.

"S-Sakura...I...I feel so coolld......" Sakura looked deep into his eyes, which was partly hidden underneath his drooping eyelids. Sakura could tell he was slowing down as the cold got to him.

"Don't...Don't fall asleep!" Sakura urged.

She pulled the blanket over the both of them, and wrapped her arms around him, trying to maintain his body heat. She felt his ice-cold skin hit hers, sending shivers down her back.

They chattered together, as they desperately fought for warmth. Pulling closer, they rested their foreheads on each other's. After a few minutes, they started to feel their arms get warmer. Rubbing even harder now, their spirits brightened. Before long, they were snugly warm, and was speechless as they looked into each other's eyes deeply.

Sakura felt her eyelids droop, and her head started to bob. Trying to keep herself awake for Gaara's sake, she fought the urge. But before long, Sakura drifted off to sleep, and Gaara guided her head onto his shoulder gently, before leaning back onto the sofa.

Gaara looked out the sliding door and sighed. _Who would have thought...Sakura...on the couch with me...the guy who used to like killing people for the fun of it..._ Gaara smiled lightly, and kissed Sakura on the forehead before closing his eyes for the night.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

Sakura woke to the sound of sizzling sausages and eggs. Lifting her head to peek into the opening of the kitchen, she realized she was sleeping with Gaara. Looking up, she found him staring at her, smiling sweetly.

Sakura giggled lightly and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful..." he kissed the top of her head caringly as she blushed.

"Stop it...you're making me embarrassed...it's too early in the morning..."

Gaara laughed lightly, feeling as if all the hatred and anger had been lifted out of him through these few days.

A loud whistle was heard from the right as a pack of boys came thundering down the stairs.

"Ooh...so...Gaara and SAKURA-chan, eh?" Naruto asked mischievously.

"N-no..." Sakura blushed a deep red, most likely a deeper red than her usual dress.

Everyone started to ask them what they were doing, as Sasuke sulked in the corner.

"Shikamaru!! GET OFF ME!!" Ino's piercing voice was heard in the kitchen.

Everyone's attention was diverted to said spot as they saw Shikamaru trying to kiss Ino's neck while she was cooking. Everyone rushed over to interrogate THEM.

Gaara and Sakura remained seated, looked into each other's eyes, and laughed.

Sasuke eyed them angrily, and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

The teachers were called over to see what was wrong with the furnace. When it was fixed, everyone got ready to go out for another day out on the hills.

"Gaara-kun...you should go with them...You don't have to stay here with me you know..."

"I know...but...what if some ninja comes and secretly kills you?" Gaara asked with a worried look on his face.

"Like THAT'S going to happen. Seriously...I'm a ninja myself...I'm not as bad as I was when I was twelve you know...I AM a jounin..."

"I...I guess so...Well...I'll go..."

Sakura smiled brightly, and ushered him up into his room to get changed.

After everyone headed out the door, Sakura settled herself down on the sofa with a romance novel, along with a bag of chips and a bottle of water. She sighed, and sat down to enjoy a day's reading of her sappy novels.

By lunch time, Sakura had started to make herself some chicken noodle soup from a can, along with a bagel. After enjoying her simple meal, she decided to check on her ankle.

A slow day passed for Sakura as she tried to find interesting things to do. In the end, she sat back down with her novel.

She was so entranced by the words on the page, she didn't hear that creak of the door opening.

Slowly, a figure walked inside, slipping his shoes off silently.

Nearing the pink-haired girl, he tried not to attract attention to himself. As he sat down next to her, he smirked familiarly.

Sakura felt an odd presence in the room that wasn't there a minute ago, and felt weight shift on the left of the sofa. She slowly glanced up from her novel, and turned to her left to see who it was. _Sasuke?_

Suddenly, he leaned in, and tried to kiss her. Of course, Sakura resisted, and screamed for help. She tried to push him away, but his weight pressed her down on the sofa. She felt his hand go up her shirt, and tried to do a hand seal to transport out of the situation. No go, he had her hands in a firm grip with his left.

"SASUKE!! NO!!!NO!!!" she yelled.

"You're..._mine_..." he hissed.

All of a sudden, the door opened, and someone stepped in, slipping his shoes off, and noticed the extra pair in front of him. _That's odd...maybe someone came back..._ He shrugged it off, but heard commotion in the living room. _Hehheh...someone getting it ON...it's probably Ino and Shikamaru...hehe..._ he thought to himself, smirking.

"SASUKE!! NOO!!!!" a piercing scream was heard.

Gaara's eyes widened as he recognized her voice. _Sakura!_

He rushed into the room, seeing Sasuke on top of her, trying to take her shirt off.

Gaara quickly ran over to pull him off, throwing him into the wall near the sliding door. He then pulled Sakura close to him, protecting her from any more harm.

He could see the tears fall from her chin, her face screwed up with fear.

Sasuke stumbled up, using the wall as support. He wiped some blood off the corner of his mouth, an glared menacingly at the two.

"Sasuke...You stay AWAY from Sakura!" Gaara commanded.

He smirked and hissed almost in a snake-like way, "No...she's mine!"

As if on cue, the rest of the group barged in the front door, speaking loudly about what tricks and which hills they went on.

As Shikamaru walked into the living room, he saw Sasuke on the opposite wall of Sakura and Gaara, who were still hugging. He noticed Sasuke had smeared blood at the corner of his mouth.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked calmly.

"Shika-kun! Wanna go out to eat dinner with me tonight?"

Shikamaru ignored Ino and waited for an answer.

"N-nothing...Shika...nothing happened..." Sakura answered, hoping he would drop the question.

"Alright...If you really don't want to explain..." Shikamaru walked away with Ino latched onto him like a leech.

"Hey you guys! Want some RAMEN?!" Naruto yelled as he jumped into the room from the kitchen.

"Uhmm...no Naruto...I don't want any...Gaara-kun...do you want any?"

"No"

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a big silly grin on his face.

Sasuke snorted and walked up to his room.

"What's his problem...ahh well..." Naruto skipped back to the kitchen and watched Hinata make some of his favourite flavoured ramen.

"Sakura...Are you ok?" Gaara asked, his face full of concern.

"Yes...I'm ok...I...I just...Why would he do s-something...like that?" Sakura bawled, and buried her head into Gaara's chest. He stroked her silky hair as she cried a little.

"Why? Why would he do that? W...We were good friends back then...To think...I said I _loved_ him..."

"It's ok Sakura......I'm here to protect you..." Gaara promised, his eyes glistening.

"Arigatou..."

He smiled, and said, "Now, let's get you upstairs to change...we should go out for dinner tonight...since it's the last day here..." He stood up, and bent down a little in front of Sakura. Gesturing for her to get on his back, he caught her legs as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks Gaara-kun...for everything..."

"I just want you to be happy...I think...you're the only one that can make me talk like this...make me want to open up and tell what's REALLY in my heart...I should be thanking you..."

Sakura smiled as he set her down on her bed.

"I'll wait outside...and umm..._carry_...you back downstairs when you're done changing...ok?"

"Ok..." she smiled sweetly to herself as he walked out the door. _I think I'm in love with him...what do I do? Does he like me too?!_

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

After a wonderful dinner, Sakura took a shower, and decided it was time for bed.

As she opened the door of the bathroom, letting the steam out, Gaara stood outside, waiting for her.

"Are you my personal body guard now?" Sakura joked.

"Yes...just in case..." Gaara eyed the entrance of the living room, where Sakura assumed was where Sasuke was.

She smiled and said, "You know...you're really sweet and caring when you want to be...not like that cold...person that likes to kill people I first met 5 years ago...I like this new Gaara..."

"I'm glad you like it...I...I'd do anything...for you......" he blushed, and looked down at his feet.

Sakura caressed his face with her hands. "I would too..."

"Come on...Uhmm...let's get you to bed..." Gaara tried to change the subject.

"Hehe...okay...if you say so..." Sakura was picked up by Gaara's strong arms, and as he carried her up the stairs, she kissed him on the cheek, resulting a beet red Gaara that matched his hair.

Placing her in her bed gently, he pulled the blanket over her and said goodnight.

"Gaara-kun...would...would you like to sleep with me tonight?" she asked shyly.

"WhAt?! S-sleep with y-you?!" His voice cracked in shock.

"No...not like THAT...but...just share the bed tonight...for my _safety_..." she did her puppy eyes that she _knows_ no one can resist.

"But...what about Ino?"

"Oh, she's been sleeping with Shikamaru...This was sort of a storage room for her luggage..."

"Oh alright..." He gave in.

He climbed in, and placed his arm around her small body. He could smell the sweet fruitacious scent of Sakura's shampoo.

"Thanks...I feel much safer now..." and they fell asleep together.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

The next morning, Ino came in to gather clothes for the day, when she saw not one, but _two_ lumps on Sakura's bed. Slowly creeping over, she peered over the blankets to see who it was. Her eyes widened, then a snicker came to her lips. _Hehhehheh...wait till I tell EVERYONE about this....hahaha_

"Ino...Didn't you know I don't sleep?" Gaara said, his eyes still closed.

"Uhmm...Uhmm...ah..hehheh...I'll...be leaving now..." Ino backed out of the room, then closed the door. As soon as it was closed, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "SAKURA SLEPT WITH GAARA LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!" It rang through the line of houses on the street.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

Everyone was seated at the large, extended dining table, all snickering at the new _couple_.

Gaara eyed them menacingly as Sakura smiled weakly, trying to forget about it. It was quite hard, when 9 pairs of eyes were on them.

"Soo...how's the ham?" Sakura asked, trying to break the snickering silence.

"Hehe...good...hehe..." Naruto sneered.

"Naruto-kun...hehe...you shouldn't do that...Sakura-chan's embarrassed..." Hinata couldn't contain herself either.

The only person who WASN'T smiling was Sasuke, as he eyed Gaara angrily, and wolfed down his breakfast quickly. As soon as he was done, he stood up abruptly and walked up the stairs to pack.

By noon, everyone was packed and ready to leave.

The sensei's came to their condo to pick them up to the bus, and Kakashi-sensei asked "Did you guys have fun?"

"Oh we had fun alright...but I would have to say _Gaara_ had the _most_ fun of all..." Kankurou sneered.

All of them piled onto the bus for the ride home, as Sakura rested her head on Gaara's shoulder.

"I love you..." Sakura said in a soft voice.

"...I love you too..." Gaara admitted, and kissed her on the top of her head.

-OoOoOoOoOoOoO-

THE END

I hoped you guys like it...lolz...this is the first story I've finished...sooo...YAY!!!

Anyways...I'm going to be finishing up the seventh chapter of medicine, not to mention a new story coming out, called "Laws of Love"... Read my profile at the bottom to see a basic outline of it...so...ta!

By the way...my new favourite couple in Naruto is Sakura and Gaara...they're sooo made for each other...AWWWWWW

-- Love, Babi Kakashi


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